Loading machine



Aug. 7, 19:28.v www@ w. F. SHELLEY Lomme mamma Filed Oct. 27. 1.924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 7, 1928..

iai-'rn erre WALTER FRANK 'si-IELLEY, or wABUsKA, NEVADA.

LoAnrNe MAcHiNn.

applicati@inaoctoter 27, 1924. serial No. massi'.

fThisinve'ntion relates to conveyors, and its general fobjectmis-` to provide a conveyor ca'pablepof loading 4fand )unloading one or more "freight fears7 ships and ,the like with freight, baggage or other similarfg'oods in an 'easy land expeditious manner with very little edort. e, p e e a A furtherfobject ofthe invention is to provide a lconveyor,including a main unit and auxiliary portableuunits capable of associatio'n for `simultaneous operation for conveyinjg'material fromone to the other iny succession'andvsaid auxiliary portable units being adapted to support one another while the main unitsupports any one ofthe auxiliary rinitsvlformoving the latterfrom place to p'laceshch4 as ships, cars, ware-houses, freight Yardsjfad. .like 'Places lAnother -object of the invention is to pero vide acconveyor that is simple in const-ruction and inexpensive to manufacture, yet

will Vfunction to, load or unload one or more cars, ships.. vand the .likeA with minimum `nanual labor, minimum' power and `minimum lossof goods. e e e Y This invention also consists in certain other featuresofeconstructionf and in the combination andarrangeinentrof the several parts,`t`o. be hereinafter fully described7 illustrated in lthe accompanying drawings and speciiically pointed out inthe appended claims.` e., i* .K ln describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to' the Vaccompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like ,or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which: e

`VFigure 1 is a fragmentary` elevation partly' in section and illustrating myconveyor Yin j'aositfion .for loading or unloading a plurality of freight cars. e A l FigureQ is a top plan View of the main unit of my conveyor system.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line of Figure 2 lookingin'the direction of the arrows; e

Referring to the drawings in Adetail and particularly to Figure 1, it will be noted that Iliaveillustrated the application of my conveyor with respect to freight cars and a warlehouse which is indicated by theletter and the `carsby the letters B, @..and D. llVliileeI havefshown ymy conveyor arranged for loading o nunloading freight cars, with respect to a ware-house, it lwill bewobvious that they can likewise be used for loading or unloading' ships orythelike in the same. manner as suggested in Figure 1. t

Each of the conveyor units with the eX- ception of the main conveyor unit is provided with a pair of wheeled platforms l which have secured thereto a frame including a base Zand rising from said base are spaced parallel arms 3 and 4. The parallel arms and 4 terminate at ytheir ripper ends in semi-circular recesses to accommodate rods ifor a purpose which will. be presently apparent. The main unit is provided with a.wheeled,platform at one end with arms rising therefrom, but the opposite end which as shown is disposed in the ware-house A is provided with spacedarms having feet to engage the floor of the ware-house as suggested inFigure l.

The unit'seach includega .hollow elongated body 6` which` has ,fixed thereto the parallel arms 3 and i and the body is provided. with side walls 7 andtop and bottom walls as shown. Arranged to travel longitudinally about thefbody 6 of each unit` is an endless belt or apron 8 which is disposedso as to have its upper run arrangedbclow the rods 5 as best shown inFigure 3 of the drawings.

Passing through the: side walls of the body of each unit adjacent each end `thereof is a shaft) having fixed to its. ends sprocket wheels 10l which receive sprocket chains 11 for operating the aprons 8 through the instrumentality ofv strips 8 transversinguthe apronsand secured to the innersides thereof` at equi-distantly spaced intervals. The

strips 8 have their ends fixed to the chains 11 as suggested in Figure 3 of the drawings. Secured to one of the shafts 9.of the main unit is a pulley 12 adapted to receive apower belt 13 which is trained about thepulley of a source of power 14 as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. Also securcdto this last mentioned shaftbetween the pulley and its adjacent sprocket wheel is a worm `wheel 15 and mounted for rotation in the arms 3 of this `main unit is a shaft 16 .which` has secured to one end a worm arranged in .mesh with the worm wheel 15 so that the power from the worm wheel will be transferred to the shaft 16. Each ofthe auxiliary `units fis also provided with, a shaft disposed longitudinally thereof as shown and these .shafts for distinction are indicated by the reference numerals 17 and 18. The shafts l16, 17 and 18 are arranged-in alignment, and the shaft 17 is rotated from the shaft 16 and the shaft are supported by small sprocket wheels 22 mounted for rotation on shafts Q3 arranged in spaced parallel relation With respect to each other and secured to the body 6 of each of' the units.

From the above description and disclov sure of the drawings, it Will be obvious that each of the auxiliary conveyors are operated from each other and that the auxiliary conveyor adjacent the main conveyor is operated therefrom, with the result that any number of conveyors can be arranged in alignment, it VVdepending of course upon the distance that is desired to convey the mate-V rial. When the conveyors are disposed and connected up for simultaneous operation, it Will be apparent that due to their close association that any kind of material whether in boxed form or otherwise can be disposed upon the belts or aprons 8 at one end of the units and be conveyed to the opposite end or taken off at any place on the belts desired. The rods 5 are provided for the dual pur-` pose, namely to retain the material on the Vbeltsvhile being conveyed, and theyl are also adapted to act as tracks to receive a conveyor through the medium of the vvheels of the platforms 1 when it is desired to convey one conveyor from one place to another. It Willbe apparent that the Wheels of the VKplatform are grooved for this purpose.

lVhen Vthe cars as shown have been loaded or unloaded, the last `auxiliary unit may be disconnected from its adjacent conveyor and arranged upon the rods 5 thereof and returned to the Ware-house. The Vremaining auxiliary ,unit is disposed upon the main unit and returned to the Ware-housein the same manner, and the main unit may of course be disposed in the `Ware-house by merely removing the power belt 13 from its pulley 12. y Y i Itis thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features ofmy invention Will be readily apparenti I desire it to be understood that-I may make changesin the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall Within the scope of theappended claims.

. I claim: 'Y

1. In an apparatus of the "character described, the combination of a plurality of conveyors operatively connected end-toend to form a series, each conveyor provided' withV a pair of tracks in end-to-end alignment With the tracks on the preceding conveyor the last conveyor in succession adapted to be lifted onto the tracks of the pre ceding line of conveyors and moved thereon the main conveyor.

s. In a loader of are lana described, the' combination of a main conveyor unit, a plurality of supplementary j conveyor units op` eratively connected in series to" said main conveyor unit, said connection permitting the series of conveyors to` deiine a curved path for material carried bytheconveyors,

and means mounted on each of the conveyor units for V'facilitating the return of the last of t-he series of conveyors, in succession, to a position at the rear of the main conveyor unit. y l

4. In a conveyor system, the combination of arplurality of separablyi'e'nd-tofend series connected conveyor units, tracks mounted on each of the conveyor units, said tracks de- Y lining a path forthe travel of conveyor units in either direction to lengthen or shorten the series of conveyors;

v5. In a conveyor system, thecombinatio of a series of separable conveyor units arranged endtoend forV 3o-operation with l each other, a Wheeled,supportinglframe for each unit, an endless belt for each unit. means on one of Vsaid unitsfor driving the belt thereof, means on the remaining units and deriving its power from the means iirst mentioned for driving the belts ofthe re.

maining units, lguide rodssupported in parallelismA above the belts upon opposite sidesV thereof and actingV as ftrackways for the wheels of the .supporting means forV 'the travel ofthe conveyor units in either directionto lengthenor shorten theseries Yof conveyors or to reducethe same'-f to a single unit.

6. Inan apparatus of the character de-V scribed comprising conveyors, a supporting frame included ineach conveyor, Wheels for supporting said frames, sprockets` mounted 1n pairs in said frames, chains `trained about said sprockets, endless belts securedvto said chains, a. worm-gearvvvheel for each con'-V veyor and 'being mountedfor rotating said sprockets, a drive shaft foreach conveyor and mounted in the frames thereof, a Wormgear on each drive shaft ytoniesh,vvith its Worm-gear Wheel, means for driving the Worm `ear wheel of one ofi-said conveyors for rotating its shaft, universal "joints between the confronting ends of the drive the conveyors and also to act as track-Ways shafts, whereby the remaining shafts are for receiving the Wheels of the frames as and driven by the preceding shaft, guide rods for the purpose specified. 10 secured to sai-d frames and arranged upon In Witness whereof I have hereunto set 5 opposite sides of the endless belts above the my hand.

latter, and said guide rods being adapted t0 prevent the casual falling of material from WALTER FRANK SHELLEY. 

